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Rapper Nicki Minaj is pleased she was snubbed as a judge on America's 'The X Factor' last year, because she "wasn't completely sold" on the format of the show.

The Super Bass hitmaker was among the names tipped to appear as a mentor on Simon Cowell's hit series when it launched in America, but she was not part of the line-up when it was announced. British singer Cheryl Cole was unveiled as one of the judges but was subsequently replaced by Nicole Scherzinger during the auditions stage of the contest.

Minaj admits that although she was "honoured" to have been considered, she's convinced the timing was all wrong as she was still establishing herself as a musician.

She tells U.K. talk show host Alan Carr, "We were in talks up until the last minute. He went with Nicole. It just wasn't right, I wasn't completely sold on it. I didn't think the show really knew my work at the time either.

"I love Simon, I have been such a fan of Simon for such a long time and just to have him interested, I was honoured."